Roy Hamey
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Roy Hamey | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Hamey, circa 1950 | |
| Born | June 9, 1902 Havana, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 14, 1983 (aged 81) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Baseball executive, scout |
| Years active | 1925–1983 |
Henry Roy Hamey (June 9, 1902 – December 14, 1983) was an American front-office executive in
Career in minor leagues
A native of Havana, Illinois, Hamey's early employment included working in an office job with Standard Oil of Indiana and managing vaudeville theaters.[1]
He entered
In 1945, Larry MacPhail, former general manager of the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers, returned from United States Army service in World War II and shocked baseball when he formed an ownership syndicate that purchased the Yankees from the estate of Jacob Ruppert. MacPhail simultaneously installed himself as president and general manager, blocking the career paths of both Weiss and Hamey. While Weiss bided his time and remained as New York's farm director and vice president, Hamey departed to become president of the American Association.
GM in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia
At the close of the
Hamey then returned to the Yankees,[2] where Weiss had finally been promoted to general manager in October 1947 after MacPhail's partners, Dan Topping and Del Webb, bought him out. (Thus, Hamey's career was materially affected by three Hall of Fame executives: Weiss, MacPhail and Rickey.) Hamey served as Weiss's top assistant from 1951 through mid-April 1954.
On April 16 of that year, he joined the Philadelphia Phillies as general manager, effectively succeeding owner
In
Three pennants in three seasons for the Yankees
After a heart-breaking, seven-game loss of the 1960 World Series to the Pirates, the Yankees faced difficult decisions. Manager Casey Stengel was 70 years of age and blocking the path of 41-year-old Ralph Houk, one of his coaches and considered a top managing prospect. When Stengel would not retire, Topping and Webb fired him—or "discharged" him, as Stengel would say. Concurrently, the team also needed a succession plan for Weiss, then 66. In a decision that was roundly debated, the Yankees forced Weiss into (temporary) retirement, and promoted the 58-year-old Hamey to general manager on November 3, 1960.[1] (Both Stengel and Weiss would resurface a year later as the first manager and president of the expansion New York Mets.)
Hamey faced numerous challenges in keeping the Yankees at the top of the American League. He presided over the team's participation in the first expansion draft in December 1960, brought up pitcher Roland Sheldon, a rookie standout, from the minors, and swung a number of deals during 1961 that added supporting players to a team that would win 109 games and easily defeat Cincinnati in the 1961 World Series. He tweaked the Yankee roster again during the offseason, and promoted eventual Rookie of the Year Tom Tresh and freshman pitcher Jim Bouton to the 1962 club, which took the AL pennant by five games and outlasted the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.
In 1963, Hamey added more youth in left-handed pitcher Al Downing and first baseman Joe Pepitone. He made room for Pepitone through a controversial trade, sending longtime Yankee first baseman Bill Skowron to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Stan Williams. Skowron struggled mightily in the NL during 1963, while the Yankees won 104 games and gained their fourth straight AL title. But in the 1963 World Series, the Dodgers humbled the Yanks in four straight games—the first time the team had ever been swept in a Fall Classic—with Skowron the batting star.
In the weeks following the 1963 season, Topping and Webb, perhaps paving the way for the Yankees' sale to
The Yankees averaged 103 regular season victories during Hamey's three-year GM tenure and brought up a number of serviceable mid-level players. But neither Hamey nor Houk could adequately replace the team's aging corps of superstars—Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Berra and Whitey Ford—or other standout players such as Elston Howard, Bobby Richardson and Tony Kubek. After one last pennant in 1964, the Yankees would wander in the wilderness for 11 years until they entered the first dynasty of the George Steinbrenner era.
Hamey's last high-profile job in baseball occurred during the winter of
Roy Hamey lived in retirement in Tucson, Arizona. He died there of a heart attack at age 81 on December 14, 1983, and is buried in Mattoon, Illinois, at Dodge Grove Cemetery.
See also
References
- ^ a b Effrat, Louis (November 4, 1960). "Hamey Named General Manager of Yankees, Is Promised 'Free Hand' by Club". timesmachine.nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c Thomas, Robert McG. (December 17, 1983). "H. Roy Hamey, Executive With Yankees, 1960–1964". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ This Day in Baseball: September 14, 1946
- ^ This Day in Baseball: November 20, 1950
- ^ a b Pinto, Greg (May 19, 2012). "Philadelphia Phillies: Rating Every General Manager in Phillies' History". Bleacherreport.com. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ Jackson, Frank (October 30, 2017). "The Turk, the Bear, the Bird: Outlaw Night Riders". tht.fangraphs.com. The Hardball Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- The Associated Press. October 19, 1963. Retrieved August 13, 2022.